Postoperative care of the foot following orthopedic surgery generally requires that a patient wear special orthopedic shoes which somewhat immobilizes the foot and/or provides suitable clearances of the affected areas until edema and inflammatory process subsides to avoid abuse of tissues which delays healing. Prior to the availability of said orthopedic shoes, cutout street shoes were utilized which generally afforded inadequate protection and frequently encouraged paresthesia to develop. Heretofore, orthopedic shoes available to patients recovering from surgery of the forefoot, i.e. the toes or metatarsophalangeal region provided a loose fitting rigid soled shoe with openings therein to avoid contact with the sensitive areas. However, following correction measures to the forefoot, as for example avulsion of the nail; hypertrophy of the nail lip; and occlusion of the nail groove; as well as numerous surgical procedures involving the toes, this area becomes extremely sensitive to the touch and coupled with the somewhat encumbered walking abilities of the patient at this time there is an exceedingly great risk of bumping this portion of the foot against an obstruction which apart from the excruciating pain resulting can cause serious injury to this delicate area.
While toe protectors and the like are known, none have been incorporated into an orthopedic shoe for postoperative wear. Toe protectors for safety shoes or for use with orthopedic casts would not be applicable or adaptable for use with the present invention.